It's hard to believe that it's been nearly 5 months since the release of Elden Ring. FromSoftware's huge RPG has been a major hit, becoming their most successful release and easily one of the most widely-played games of the year. The vast open world, challenging enemies, and fascinating narrative design have put most other RPGs to shame.
However, given the size and scope of the game, Elden Ring has seen its share of balance patches since its launch. While the majority of those changes have been bug fixes that most players won't ever notice, there have also been several nerfs to weapons, spells, and skills to make them more balanced. Players were leaning heavily on several meta builds to cruise through the game without much difficulty, and the nerfs allowed for a more diverse array of character builds to be viable in both PvE and PvP. Sadly, those nerfs mean that these weapons, spells, and skills, which were once a blast to melt bosses with, are now a more mundane experience to utilize.
8 Dragon King's Cragblade
One of the offerings provided by Enia in exchange for the Remembrance of the Dragonlord, obtained by defeating Dragonlord Pacidusax, was this heavy sword called the Dragon King's Cragblade. It does Physical and Lightning damage via both standard and piercing attacks. However, the main attraction to this weapon was its Weapon Skill, Thundercloud Form, which turned players into a cloud of red lightning that would float through the air before slamming down on an opponent.
In patch 1.04, Thundercloud Form was nerfed. While the features that made it so attractive to begin with remain (such as the Skill's range and invulnerability on startup), it now does a fraction of the damage without being charged up beforehand. This significantly increases the Skill's casting time, leaving players wide open to a counterattack. While still a decent choice for PvE, the weapon's PvP days are no more.
7 Ash Of War, Barricade Shield
This Ash of War, obtained from killing the Night's Cavalry found in the Weeping Peninsula, doesn't provide the same game-breaking ability as some other items on this list, but there are few support abilities more useful in the entire game. Barricade Shield would boost the guard of any equipped shield by 35. That means any shield with a guard of 65 or better would be able to tank a hit from any attack without costing stamina.
Unfortunately, it was a bit too good. Particularly against bosses, this ability could make Strength builds nearly unkillable. FormSoft eventually nerfed it, and while the guard boost remains the same, it now costs more FP, takes longer to cast, and remains active for much less time than it used to.
6 Swarm Of Flies
Found on a corpse in Mohgwyn's Palace, this incantation was one of the first abilities players found to reliably hold off Malenia, Blade of Miquella, the game's most demanding boss. Swarm of Flies causes Blood Loss buildup on its target. When the Blood Loss meter fills up all the way, the target is staggered and takes a good chunk of damage.
It seems FromSoft enjoy the suffering of their players too much to allow for such a reliable tactic against one of their most challenging boss fights ever. Swarm of Flies was nerfed not long after it became the go-to way for handling Malenia. It still causes Blood Loss, but the status effect now builds up much slower, requiring several more casts (and therefore expending more FP) in order to have the same effect.
5 Ash Of War, Hoarfrost Stomp
A favorite of Elden Ring speedrunners, Hoarfrost Stomp is an AoE ability that deals large amounts of damage to any enemy caught in its radius, as well as builds up the Frostbite status effect. It is found on an invisible Scarab in Liurnia of the Lakes, to the South of Caria Manor. Between its range, damage, and quick cast time, it quickly became the meta for clearing through groups of enemies quickly.
That is no longer the case. The nerf in Patch 1.03 did a number on this Ash of War, increasing its cast time while decreasing its damage output. The Frostbite buildup remains the same, meaning this is still a viable ability, but the days when it dominated PvE are long gone.
4 Sword Of Night And Flame
Once the most potent straight swords in the game, the Sword of Night and Flame was the perfect complement to Dexterity/Faith builds. It is lightweight, attacks quickly, and its skill - called the Night-and-Flame Stance - is the closest thing players will find to equipping their character with a laser cannon. It is located on the East side of Caria Manor behind a locked door that requires players to drop in through a hole in the roof to access.
It seems the Night-and-Flame Stance was being relied upon too heavily by players, which caused FromSoft to nerf it. The weapon skill now does half the damage that it used to, making the whole setup average at best. The sword itself is still fine, but considering the way it used to melt bosses in an instant, it's a huge step down.
3 Ash Of War, Bloody Slash
For pretty much the entirety of Elden Ring's existence, the weapon Rivers of Blood has been the meta for players wanting to easily cruise through the game, both in PvE and PvP. However, for players who couldn't spec into the requirements for that deadly katana, or who simply wanted to use a different type of blade, there was the lesser option: the Ash of War, Bloody Slash, dropped by the Godrick Knight at the top of Fort Haight.
The thing about Bloody Slash is it damages the player using it in order to boost the damage it deals to enemies. Typically, it's a great trade-off, since few enemies survive long enough to capitalize on the player's decreased health. However, it was nerfed in Patch 1.03, increasing the damage it dealt to the player and decreasing the damage it dishes out. The nerf also increased its casting time. Suffice to say, this Ash of War is barely useable anymore, and it's a real shame.
2 Mimic Tear Ashes
Speaking of meta, the Mimic Tear Ashes were hard carrying players through the entirety of Elden Ring during the game's first month or so. These Ashes, which summon a copy of the player's character, complete with all weapons, spells, and items equipped, were capable of soloing bosses while the player just sat back and watched. It can be found in a chest in the Night's Sacred Ground.
This is one of the nerfs on this list that was probably for the best. Mimic Tear was simply too strong, and once players began to spec their characters around using it, it was taking over the game. FromSoft quickly nerfed Mimic Tear's damage and changed its AI behavior to make it a bit less aggressive. It's still one of the best Ashes in the game, but it doesn't trivialize the other options like it once did.
1 Rivers Of Blood
This is a sneaky one. As stated earlier, Rivers of Blood is one of the most widely-used weapons in the game, both for PvE and PvP. It is dropped by Bloody Finger Okina, who invades players' games near the Church of Repose in Mountaintops of the Giants.
Most players won't even realize that Rivers of Blood was nerfed because FromSoft didn't include it in any patch notes they published. This is what's known as a "shadow nerf." The nerf is fairly minor, but it did happen, increasing the FP required to cast its weapon skill, Corpse Plier, and adjusting the weapon's scaling to be slightly less dominant when wielded by a character built around using it. It's still one of the most effective weapons in Elden Ring, it's just not quite as effective as it used to be.
Elden Ring was released on February 25th, 2022, and is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.